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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660

Date issued:14/03/2019

The savvy shoppers out there seeking a competitive mainstream GPU may have viewed last month's GTX 1660 Ti as a good reason to wait for whatever comes next. You see, it was no secret that GTX 1660 Ti introduced the full implementation of NVIDIA's latest 12nm Turing die, the TU116, and that typically means that pared-down derivatives are imminent.

Turns out we didn't have to wait long as NVIDIA is today following-up with another mainstream offering dubbed the GTX 1660. Built around the same die as its full-fat sibling, this latest addition to the GeForce product range brings the latest-generation Turing architecture down to the $219 (£200) price point. Let's dive in and see what's what.

GeForce: from GTX to RTX to GTX

RTX 2080 Ti

GTX 1080 Ti

RTX 2080

GTX 1080

RTX 2070

GTX 1070

RTX 2060

GTX 1660 Ti

GTX 1660

GTX 1060

Launch date

Sep 2018

Mar 2017

Sep 2018

May 2016

Oct 2018

May 2016

Jan 2019

Feb 2019

Mar 2019

May 2016

Codename

TU102

GP102

TU104

GP104

TU106

GP104

TU106

TU116

TU116

GP106

Architecture

Turing

Pascal

Turing

Pascal

Turing

Pascal

Turing

Turing

Turing

Pascal

Process (nm)

12

16

12

16

12

16

12

12

12

16

Transistors (bn)

18.6

12

13.6

7.2

10.8

7.2

10.8

6.6

6.6

4.4

Die Size (mm²)

754

471

545

314

445

314

445

284

284

200

Base Clock (MHz)

1,350

1,480

1,515

1,607

1,410

1,506

1,365

1,500

1,530

1,506

Boost Clock (MHz)

1,545

1,582

1,710

1,733

1,620

1,683

1,680

1,770

1,785

1,708

Founders Edition Clock (MHz)

1,635

-

1,800

-

1,710

-

1,680

-

-

1,708

Shaders

4,352

3,584

2,944

2,560

2,304

1,920

1,920

1,536

1,408

1,280

Peak GFLOPS

13,448

11,340

10,068

8,873

7,465

6,463

6,221

5,437

5,027

3,855

Founders Edition GFLOPS

14,231

-

10,598

-

7,880

-

6,221

-

-

3,855

Tensor Cores

544

-

368

-

288

-

240

-

-

-

RT Cores

68

-

46

-

36

-

30

-

-

-

Memory Size

11GB

11GB

8GB

8GB

8GB

8GB

6GB

6GB

6GB

6GB

Memory Bus

352-bit

352-bit

256-bit

256-bit

256-bit

256-bit

192-bit

192-bit

192-bit

192-bit

Memory Type

GDDR6

GDDR5X

GDDR6

GDDR5X

GDDR6

GDDR5

GDDR6

GDDR6

GDDR5

GDDR5

Memory Clock

14Gbps

11Gbps

14Gbps

10Gbps

14Gbps

8Gbps

14Gbps

12Gbps

8Gbps

8Gbps

Memory Bandwidth

616

484

448

320

448

256

336

288

192

192

ROPs

88

88

64

64

64

64

48

48

48

48

Texture Units

272

224

184

160

144

120

120

96

88

80

L2 cache (KB)

5,632

2,816

4,096

2,048

4,096

2,048

3,072

1,536

1,536

1,536

Power Connector

8-pin + 8-pin

8-pin + 6-pin

8-pin + 6-pin

8-pin

8-pin

8-pin

8-pin

8-pin

8-pin

6-pin

TDP (watts)

250

250

215

180

175

150

160

120

120

120

Founders Edition TDP (watts)

260

-

225

-

185

-

160

-

-

-

Suggested MSRP

$999

$699

$699

$549

$499

$379

$349

$279

$219

$249

Founders Edition MSRP

$1,199

$699

$799

$699

$599

$449

$349

-

-

$299

The in-depth specification table reveals all. Though GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1660 have plenty in common, the latter is able to meet the lower price point by artificially disabling two SM units, resulting in a lower shader count (1,408 vs. 1,536) and fewer texture units (88 vs. 96). These small cuts are compensated via a fractionally higher boost clock of 1,785MHz, but what really sets the GPUs apart is the back-end configuration.

Although both GTX 16-series cards carry 48 ROPs and a 192-bit memory bus, NVIDIA has created clear segmentation between the two GPUs by switching from 12Gbps GDDR6 memory on the GTX 1660 Ti to 8Gbps GDDR5 on the new GTX 1660. That performance penalty is what is likely to separate the two cards when it comes to in-game frame rate, but at a cost of £200, GTX 1660 is still expected to offer excellent results at a full-HD resolution, and in some titles smooth gameplay at QHD.

Exactly what a mainstream card should aim to deliver? Perhaps, and the 120W TDP is such that add-in-board partners can create small, quiet and inexpensive cards that require only a single power cable.

Gaming Credentials

NVIDIA's goal, understandably, is to chisel away at the TU116 die to leave a cost effective GPU that slots in below the existing GTX 1660 Ti while outpacing rival solutions such as the Radeon RX 590 and RX 580. Benchmarks from leading review sites suggest that GTX 1660 manages to do exactly that.

Achieving silky gameplay at a full-HD resolution is easy enough, and though the card might be viewed as a sideward step from the last-generation GTX 1060, it serves as a prime destination for gamers still rocking a GTX 960. The performance uplift in Shadow of the Tomb Raider is almost as much as 200 per cent, taking gameplay from unplayable to perfectly smooth.

Gaming at a more demanding 2,560x1,440 resolution is a greater challenge, yet GTX 1660 continues to deliver solid results, and the best available in the £200 arena. Ideal for a small-form-factor build, and if you're willing to forego the bells and whistles of flagship RTX cards, GTX 1660 ticks a lot of the right boxes without breaking the bank.

Summary

It is easy to become distracted by premium high-profile cards promising cutting-edge technologies and lofty performance, but let's not forget that the bulk of graphics card sales take place in the mid-range segment where value is key. For these reasons, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1660 is expected to become a volume seller, and serves as a fine choice at the £200 price point.